Baylor Bears

Baylor’s offense was the most explosive offense in the country last season. Not only did Baylor score the most points per game, but they also totaled the most yards per game. Their heavy four verts spread offense has proven to be one of the most efficient offensive systems in college football. The offense is designed to stretch the field in every direction in order to get receivers into wide open space, which is even scarier considering how freakishly athletic Baylor’s receivers tend to be. It also does not hurt that quarterback Bryce Petty is the most accurate passer in the conference.

As a whole, the team was relatively successful. They finished 11-2 with both losses coming to top 20 teams at the time. Despite having a conference loss to Oklahoma State, Baylor still found themselves winning the BIG 12 championship over Texas. Unfortunately, their bowl game against UCF was a depressing loss to end the season. Regardless of the finale, Baylor had a stellar season and should be excited to be having much of the talent from that team return.

Top Newcomers

KD Cannon, Wide Receiver: Over the past few seasons, Baylor has made a name for themselves as a program with a stacked receiving corps. Cannon is next in line. He has a knack for making tough catches in traffic even though he is only 6’0”.

Davion Hall, Wide Receiver/Defensive Back: Hall was an athlete coming out of high school, but Baylor has listed him as a receiver for now. Hall is a tall, athletic receiver, much like Terrance Williams who recently played for Baylor. After the catch, Hall is a weapon.

Top Returners

Bryce Petty, Quarterback: Petty is a perfect fit for Baylor’s offense. The four verts concepts allow Petty to read an open field and more easily find the open receiver. It also plays to Petty’s strengths because Baylor likes to attack deep down the field and Petty is a wonderful deep passer. Petty’s athleticism also makes him a threat to run at any time. Petty ran for 14 touchdowns in 2013 alone.

Shawn Oakman, Defensive End: Oakman’s size is overwhelming, to say the least. He comes in at 6’9” and 275 pounds, which makes him a human bulldozer. Oakman’s freakish size and strength is a rare combo. Last season, Oakman was only a rotational player, but 2014 will be the season he takes the BIG 12 by storm.

Positional Breakdown

Quarterback: As previously stated, Petty is a top notch quarterback that can make all the throws across the field. With him at the helm again, Baylor should once again be a top five offense, if not the best in the nation. If Petty were to go down, sophomore Seth Russell would take over. Russell played a bit last year and was relatively solid for a freshman.

Running Back: Losing Lache Seastrunk will not be easy, but Shock Linwood is arguably more talented. Linwood is less of a “big play” runner than Seastrunk, but on the other hand, he is a more consistent producer. In relief of Linwood will be Devin Chafin and Johnny Jefferson. Chafin showed promise in his few carries last season and Jefferson is an unknown as he redshirted last season.

Wide Receiver: Athletically, Baylor wide receivers are terrifying. Antwan Goodley is essentially a running back playing receiver, while Levi Norwood is a shifty space player. The two will be Baylor’s leading receivers and both of them will generate an absurd amount of yards after the catch.

Tight End: Tight ends are not a key piece to Baylor’s offense. In 2013, Baylor tight ends only caught 12 passes, 10 of which were from a talented Jordan Najvar who will no longer be on the team. Gus Penning will replace Najvar, but do not expect much production.

Offensive Tackle: Left tackle Spencer Drango is touted as one of the better left tackles in the nation and is a major contributor in keeping the pocket clean for Petty. Opposite of Drango will be Troy Baker who will be a first year starter as a senior. As if that alone was not a bit concerning, the player who preceded him was merely average.

Offensive Guard: Cyril Richardson’s void will not be filled easily. LaQuan McGowan is set to replace Richardson, but do not expect him to have the same impact.On the other side, the middling Desmine Hilliard will be returning at right guard.

Center: Sophomore center Kyle Fuller, who is a mystery at the moment, will make or break Baylor’s interior. The guards will have their fair of struggles, but good center play may be able to keep them afloat. Then again, bad center play could spell disaster for Baylor.

Defensive End: Shawn Oakman will be the more terrifying edge player, but his counterpart Jamal Palmer is to be taken seriously as well. The two may prove to be the most productive duo in the BIG 12. With Oakman now in a full time role, quarterbacks have more to be afraid of when facing Baylor.

Defensive Tackle: Beau Blackshear and Andrew Billings will make a young, powerful duo as Baylor interior defensive line. Billings did not start as a freshman last season, but was productive when given a chance. Neither are seniors, so not only do they project well for this season, but the following season as well.

Linebacker: Of the three linebackers from last season (one of them being a hybrid defensive back role), only Bryce Hager, who had the third most tackles on the team in 2013, will be returning. Aiavion Edwards and Kiante’ Griffin, who were both freshman last season, are primed to make their mark at their linebacking positions.

Defensive Backs: Aside from safety Terrell Burt, Baylor’s entire defensive back corps will be first year starters. The starting corners, Xavien Howard and Terrence Singleton, will be redshirt sophomores that were both three-star recruits or lower. Orion Stewart, the new safety, is another inexperienced, low star recruit player.

Biggest Strength

Baylor’s offense is going to light up scoreboards nation wide. Most defenses do not have the athleticism to properly cover a four verts offense for four quarters. If defenses play close, Baylor runs four verts and attacks the deeper parts of the field. If defenses line up cautiously, Baylor either runs or throws a quick screen/bubble. Either way, Baylor has defenses running every which way and they can only keep up for so long.

Baylor has recruited superb athletes at receiver and they thrive in Baylor’s system because the system creates space for the receivers. Likewise, the running back talent is wonderful and will make for a balanced attack in terms of efficiency. Furthermore, Petty is a stellar fit for the system because of his anticipation and ball placement that allows his receivers to get yards after the catch. The beautiful marriage of Art Briles’s offense and the athletes that he has recruited is a blueprint for young coaches.

Biggest Weakness

Baylor’s front seven should not be any less competent, but their defensive back corps will be a liability. Not only are they, for the most part, not very talented, but three of them will be first year starters. On top of that, the players that they were not previously able to surpass on the depth chart were nothing of note other than Ahmad Dixon. If not the entire season, the beginning of the year will be a horrendous display of freshman mistakes, poor angles, and sloppy penalties from the defensive back corps.